The Salvia River

The Salvia River is at its peak, flooding the Light Plate with shades of violet. This area of the garden is so named because it cuts a boomerang-shaped swathe through the Light Plate from the Shoulder Hedge to the Meadow.

Plantsman Piet Oudolf chose four varieties of Salvia for this area: Salvia x sylvestris 'Rugen' (medium blue-violet), S. x sylvestris 'Wesuwe' (deep violet), S. x sylvestris 'May Night' ( dark blue-violet) and S. x sylvestris 'Blue Hill' (true blue).

The Salvias are planted in wide bands, crosswise to the channel. When you stand on the north path of the Light Plate and look south over the Salvia, the bands of color seem to ripple and undulate toward you - like a river.



The common name for these Salvias is Meadow Sage. The stems are square, indicating they are from the mint family. A closer look at the leaves show a similarity to the Mediterranean herb used in cooking, S. officinalis.

What's Blooming? Narcissus

Of the 120,000 bulbs that are planted in the Lurie Garden, tulips in colors of pink and violet are the showiest. But if you take a closer look you will find that the Narcissus play an equal part in the spring garden, bringing a contrast in shape and color. White and pale yellow narcissus act as a foil to the tulips, creating a light background that emphasizes the deep colors of the tulips.

Narcissus 'Lemon Drops' (Daffodil) were the first daffodils to be planted in the garden the the fall of 2006. Lemon Drops is a fragrant, tiandrus daffodil, having multiple flowers from one bulb. It has pale yellow petals with yellow, fluted cups and adds a natural look. In the Meadow, it mixes well with rosy Prairie Smoke, fuscia Shooting Stars and blue-violet Quamash.


N. 'Jenny' is similar to Lemon Drops and can be mistaken for it. When Jenny first opens, it has milky white petals and a sulphurous yellow cup. However, as the flower matures, the cup turns creamy white. Another distinction from Lemon Drops is that Jenny's petals are more pointed and arch away from the cup. One area to find Jenny is in a corner of the Dark Plate next to the Cloud Plaza.


N. Thalia is also a tiandrus daffodil with two to three fragrant, snow-white flowers to a bulb. It is distinguished from its cousins because of its pure white color and its long, open cup. A good viewing spot to see this beauty is at the top of the south stairs in the Dark Plate, under the blooming, pink Cercis canadensis.


N. Actaea is very different from the other daffodils. This fragrant daffodil has rounded white petals and a short yellow cup that is edged in dark red. Actaea is a member of group of narcissus known as Poet's Narcissus or Narcissus poeticus. It is considered an heirloom species, cultivated in 1919, and looks more like a wildflower growing in open land.

The Modern Wing at One Year

Like many Chicagoans, I've been watching the construction of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago for nearly four years, awaiting its opening. Unlike a majority of Chicagoans, I have been waiting for the opening so that I could stand on the third floor and look at the Lurie Garden. When the firm of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd originally designed the Lurie Garden, it tilted the Light and Dark Plates to the south for a better viewing from the Modern Wing. Renzo Piano also anticipated a symbiotic relationship between the two neighbors with a wall of glass that faces the Lurie Garden.

We took a members' preview tour on Thursday and went immediately to the third floor to see the garden. To my disappointment, a veil of two scrim shades hung inside the gallery windows, blurring a view of the garden. The scrims are used to protect the artwork from light damage, and today the sky was sunny and cloudless.


The best view I could find was from the patio in front of the museum restaurant, Terzo Piano.

Perhaps when the sun is lower in the sky and the day is cloudy, the museum staff will lift the scrims so that visitors can not only enjoy the artwork in the galleries, but also across Monroe Avenue.

Lurie Garden Guided Walks

Guided Walks in the Lurie Garden begin Sunday. Docents, most of whom are University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners, will be on hand to give free 20-minute tours of the garden.

While all sizes of tulips in shades of bright fuscia, lipstick red, golden yellow, white and dark blue-violet continue to dominate attention from visitors and photographers, take a closer look at some of the more subtle flowers that are opening.


Between the Cloud Plaza and the yew hedge, Fritillaria pallidiflora (Fritillary) is still blooming. This plant is a native to China and is used in the Lurie Garden for its hardiness and shape. It can withstand temperatures to -15F and its creamy yellow flowers mirror shape of tulip heads, gracefully nodding toward the ground. They brighten up and add texture to the Hosta 'Halcyon' whose leaves are at the height as the Fritillary.


Across the Plaza in the center of the Dark Plate, Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum' (Bishop's Hat) forms a groundcover at the Plaza's edge. Its flowers are a sulphur yellow (hence the name) and are so small that they may be overlooked. What is eye-catching about this plant is its foliage. Heart-shaped green leaves, edged in reddish bronze, form soft mounds about a foot high. As they mature, the leaves continue to redden, outlining the veins that remain green.

Helleborus orientalis (Lenten Rose) opened in late April and will continue to flower through the month. The colors of this species vary from pale pink to deep violet. It is used in the garden for its early bloom time and because its foliage continues to look good throughout the year. In winter when patches of snow dot the garden, the leaves of the Lenten rose may be the only green in the garden.

Look for tour guides at the south end of the Seam, under the white awning.

Bulb Day in the Garden

Today is Bulb Day in the Garden. University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and give brief tours, pointing out the more than 120,000 bulbs that are planted in the Lurie Garden. Look for a white tent at the south end of the Seam. Tours are offered between 10:00 am and 1:30 pm.


In the Meadow, look for:
Narcissus 'Lemon Drops' (Daffodil). They are mixed with two Camassias - C. cusickii and C. leichtlinii 'Blue Danube' - and a brilliant pink native perennial, Dodecatheon 'Aphrodite' (Shooting Star).



In the Light and Dark Plates, you will see a mix of pink and violet tulips - Tulipa 'Ballade,' medium violet-pink petals, edged in white - T. 'Don Quichotte' - a hot pink - and the regal T. 'Queen of the Night' - deep violet-black.

White tulips planted through both plates contrast with the darker tulips and beg for your attention - T. 'Purissima,' T. 'Maureen,' and T. Spring Green.'

Although the Salvia River is a month away from its full bloom, a carpet of Muscari armeniacum 'Superstar' is a rich substitute, giving a hint of the purple river that will flow in late May.